Experts in Japan warn of a mental health crisis following the corona pandemic.
In Japan, experts are now warning of a mental health crisis following the corona pandemic.
The warning comes after the number of suicides in recent months has increased. In October 2020 alone, 2,153 people committed suicide in Japan. The highest number in one month since 2015. By comparison, 2,057 people have died of coronavirus since the pandemic took off in the spring.
In Japan, authorities have managed to keep the coronavirus down in the country. Unlike several other countries, Japan has had no definite shutdown . Instead, they have relied on bandages, distance, good hand hygiene, and avoided large indoor gatherings.
Between March and May, however, schools across the country closed, universities increasingly switched to online teaching, and many had to work from home.
And although everyday life in Japan has now moved closer to normal, experts warn that isolation and the fear of losing one’s job could lead to a mental health crisis in the country.
The corona crisis is affecting women
It is especially among women that the suicide rate has increased. The number of women who took their own lives in October has increased by 83 percent compared to the same period last year. However, men are still most strongly represented in suicide statistics.
Michiko Ueda, a professor of suicide and suicide prevention at Waseda University in Tokyo, points out that women have been more vulnerable during the corona crisis:
“The areas that have been particularly affected by the corona are the travel industry, retail and restaurants,” Michiko Ueda told The Washington Post .
And here many women are employed, she says:
– Many women have lost their jobs or experienced a large drop in their income .
